Thread Bound
by Hana no Ouji
Summary: [Tsubasa] [T x Y] [Oneshot] Glimpses into the future forced High Priest Yukito to believe in star-crossed destiny. Touya just never gave fate a chance.


Thread Bound

: Hana no Ouji

**Genre**: Romance

**Rating**: G

**Summary**: [Tsubasa] [T x Y] [Oneshot] Glimpses into the future forced High Priest Yukito to believe in star-crossed destiny. Touya just never gave fate a chance.

**Warnings**: Fluff. Philosophical waxing. Mild, mild shounen ai. Don't like it, don't read it. Not very angsty.

_"Never take your loved ones for granted:_

_They could be gone tomorrow"_

_All of my dreams seem to fall to the side_

_Like a discarded thought_

_Or the day's fading light_

_But I know that if I could just see you tonight…forever_

Forever – Dropkick Murphys

---

"Your Majesty—"

"Touya."

"Touya."

"Mm-hmm."

"…To-ya."

This prompted the king to quirk an eyebrow, elbows propped on the upside of the throne room balcony and head nestled in his hands; he idly watched over his kingdom, wherein night had fallen and bustle declined significantly. Soft glows flickered sequentially in tiny windows. The nickname caused him to stir, leaning on one elbow to face his friend. Yukito was frequently referring to him with the utmost respect, and yet within the span of thirteen seconds he had progressed from "Your Majesty" to a crude, possibly hyphenated form of his first name. Touya was torn between smiling and scowling.

"What is it," he paused, mind wandering over candidates for nicknames before settling on, "…Yuki…?" How unoriginal, he noted with some light self-deprecation; Yukito didn't seem to notice, tilting his head and smiling in that funny little way of his. Yukito paused, and then Touya ventured, "Anything about Sakura and the gaki?"

Touya knew the answer before Yukito opened his mouth. "I'm afraid not," the priest said, expression gradually shifting to one of melancholy. He brightened almost instantaneously. "I'm sure the witch took good care of them, though."

The king sighed and shook his head, black hair flitting and then resting awkwardly, similar to a crow ruffling its feathers. "I don't believe it. I should be out there helping her with her memories, not that—"

"Meant to be," Yukito cut it almost teasingly, standing next to the king and peering over the edge of the railing.

"Do you always feel the need to say that?" Touya deadpanned, resisting the urge to whack the priest over the head.

A stray wintry breeze sifted through Yukito's beige hair. "Just reminding you," he said softly. The duo frequently had moments like these—if not concerning their latest predicament, then it was Touya complaining about how the hole-digging Syaoran should fall into one of his holes and rot there, and Yukito mocking him about his "sister complex" and whatnot.

"Meant to be," Touya echoed in a disgruntled mutter. "What is _with_ that? A princess and an archaeologist." _A High Priest and a king._ "…Not that I have anything against the brat's father or archaeologists in general, but—"

"Some things are meant to be, To-ya," Yukito said, still in that quiet pitch.

Yukito spun around and dipped into a bow, similar to the formalities taken at balls or waltzes; his robes rasped and sighed against the pristine floors as he reared back to a standing position, one slender finger indicating his person. "Take you and me, for example," he said, an indefinable gleam in his hazel eyes.

Touya's eyes widened exponentially, and he subconsciously edged further against the balcony. His mouth opened and closed multiple times, giving the faint impression of a fish out of water. Finally, flipping through his one-word vocabulary allowed the king to settle on a lame, "What!?"

Yukito laughed. "To-ya, do you believe in fate? That everything in your life is preordained, from birth to death…and everything in-between?"

The king weighed his options carefully. "Considering you can read the future, Mr. High Priest," he said slowly, "I suppose it would be irrational not to." He shook his head for the second time and ran a hand through his hair, a gesture emphasizing mild frustration or confusion. "Still, I've always clung to the idea that I had some general say in what direction my life goes."

"Interesting." Yukito smiled. "And you're right. You have _some_ control. In fact, you have a lot of control." He trotted back to the balcony, a thin hand with elongated fingers sweeping upwards from his side and extending towards the night sky, where stars reeled impassively and announced their presence a handful at a time. "You read, don't you, To-ya?"

"Of course. One of the few luxuries I'm offered."

"Ever heard of the phrase 'star-crossed'? Usually paired with the term 'destiny' or 'fate' and whatnot?"

"…More like 'star-crossed _lovers_'." Touya stuck his lower lip out in a pout Yukito found alarmingly adorable. "But yeah. Star-crossed."

"Well, that's exactly what I mean. The fates of Syaoran-kun and the princess are intertwined—even in worlds other than ours."

Touya's eyebrow shot almost to his hairline. "You're kidding, right?"

Yukito smiled even more widely, so amused by his astonishment it was obscene. "Not kidding." He hesitated, drumming a finger on his chin. "…The dimension witch, in our first and last encounter, once spoke to me of a land in which the princess was not royalty, and Syaoran-kun was not the son of an archaeologist, and yet they fell in love regardless."

He chuckled as Touya's fists clenched tightly, a vein pulsating on his forehead. "Did Sakura have an older brother who ripped the gaki's head off and threw it into some distant ocean?"

"Of course!"

Touya blanched, obviously not expecting _that_ answer.

"And, as you may have hoped, that elder brother is you, possessing a soul identical to yours."

The king smiled at last—not so much of a smile as a slight curve of the lips and a slight crinkling of his midnight-blue eyes. "Intertwined fates," he mused, folding his arms. "What about you?" he challenged, eyes mischievous. Yukito blinked a few times, eyes rounded in a disturbing display of innocence. "If there's a Touya in one world, does that Touya have a Yuki?"

_…Have a Yuki?_ The words echoed in the High Priest's head, conjuring subtext where it probably should _not_ have been; Yukito shrugged in force nonchalance, fighting a wisp of red that threatened to creep onto his pale cheeks. "Maybe," he said quietly. Raising his voice so as to seem inconspicuous, he said, "In the world the witch told me of…yes, she told me I was a friend of yours."

"Friends, huh," Touya mused, sounding something akin to disappointed.

"What? Would you rather we be something else?" Yukito taunted.

Touya paused, mulling over his words. "It'd be a lot easier to be 'something else' if I didn't have a country to manage."

He said it coolly, too—beautiful gaze filled with tantalizing mysteries averted carefully, maintaining a level of composure in spite of what subtext Yukito successfully _discerned _from what he said. Yukito found no words to reply, so Touya continued unblinkingly.

"If there really is another me, I envy him. I envy the fact that he isn't a king and doesn't have to make an ass of himself on a throne. I envy the fact his little sister isn't really supposed to fulfill some prophecy, isn't destined for overwhelming things"—Yukito cringed, recalling that the Other Sakura did have a poignant fate tied in with Other Syaoran's—"and that she isn't in as much danger as she is right now. I envy the fact that his parents might still be alive…" He trailed off for a moment, steeling himself; his shoulders straightened and his brow furrowed even more, if possible.

But he didn't say anything after that.

"To-ya…" Yukito breathed, expression faltering slightly. "I'm sorry," the priest whispered without knowing what he was sorry for.

Touya's expression became less fierce. He smiled, lifting a hand to cup Yukito's cheek; the priest's eyes widened and clouded fractionally, and a pinkish color materialized on his cheeks.

"I wonder if the Other Touya has ever done this before," Touya whispered, drawing hauntingly closer. The High Priest shivered as he gradually began to close the distance, making no move to wrench out of the delicate hold. Touya tilted his head to the side, lips nearing Yukito's ear; he whispered again, hot breath fanning wisps of light hair, "I wonder, Mr. High Priest…are our fates 'star-crossed'?"

Yukito swallowed, trembling. "I-I don't… To-ya, I don't under—"

Touya pulled away suddenly, pressing a light kiss into Yukito's hair—a gesture lacking in the intimacy department. He laughed an almost forced laugh, a peculiar light leaving his eyes. "Of course you don't," the king said evenly, backing away towards the direction of his royal chambers. "Like I said, I don't want to believe in fate."

A pause. The High Priest took his silence as a moment to get the blood flowing to…more necessary parts of his body.

"If in every world I, or some variation thereof, am bound to you…"

Yukito swallowed.

"…I wouldn't mind."

Touya pivoted sharply on the ball of his foot, slowly stalking back to his living quarters. "Good night, Yuki."

"To-ya, wait," Yukito called suddenly. He dimly wondered as to why he did that.

"Mm?"

Another pause. Yukito shook his head. "Never mind…"

"Alright." Touya began to turn a corner, the calloused and distant, business-only ruler of Clow once again.

Yukito murmured to his retreating back: "I wouldn't mind, either."

For an instant, Yukito saw Touya stiffen, and for an instant, Touya's head craned backwards to give Yukito a small smile.

Tremulously, Yukito smiled back.

**Author's Notes**: It wasn't _that_ angsty, like I said. But angsty enough. Hey, lots of angst has resolution! [Sniffles] Read and review.


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